Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill nor claim to, please don't sue!
Storyline: What if Lucas' life was very different, what if Karen was the bad one, not Dan, can anyone pull Lucas from his nightmare existance?
A/N:Okay, so I really thought about where I want this to go, I decided that unless it flows into the story naturally, there probably won't be any pairings, not that I am totally going against the idea, but I don't want to force it into the storyline if it doesn't need it or feel right. I hope you'll all keep reading though.
Chapter Three
He felt as if he was floating, as if he was looking down on himself, like he wasn't in his own body. By the looks of the beating he was receiving, that could only be a good thing. He could hear a muffled banging from somewhere, as his body was abused. It was a strange feeling to be looking down on yourself, he could see the blood pooling around his head, the bruising quickly emerging on the skin of his pale face. The whining emerging from his mouth was a foreign noise, he hadn't heard anything so pitiful in his whole life. The face of his stepfather was snarled in rage, looking more and more like the rabid animal he had become.
The banging became louder, sounding as if it was inside his own head, he could hear shouting now, coming through the door, the voice of his brother and another male voice, unfamiliar, yet comforting. It sounded like an older man, the voice roughened with age filled with anger and concern at the same time. Both voices screaming out his name, the older voice finally shouting out that the police were on their way. This stopped Chris in his tracks, he threw a panicked look at Karen. They both looked down at Lucas' unconscious form and back up to each other, the terror clearly showing on their faces. In a split second a choice had obviously been made and both Chris and Karen fled, grabbing a few needed items on their way out of the back door, hopefully to freedom.
Lucas looked on from his abstract vantage point, his body was a mess, bleeding, broken, he could hear his own breathing, wheezing struggling for breath from inside his crushed chest. His body was giving up, dying even, and he wanted to go along with it. Instead, he found himself being pulled back into it, his eyes fluttering open, the pain in his body immense and horrifying. He jumped as the door behind him was thumped on harder, this time there were more voices. He could hear shouting, managing to catch the phrase "Police, open up or the door will be broken down." Followed by "Stand back from the door right now."
The door shattered with a crash and he heard the commotion surround him. He was prodded by a roughened hand and he flinched violently, not wanting to be touched. The action of flinching caused a strong ripple of pain throughout his form and he screamed as loud as he could, crying now, not caring any more who saw or heard. He heard gasps as the people around him looked down upon him, taking in his blood drenched frame shaking in terror.
He heard his name being called and he looked to his right, seeing his baby brother staring back at him his eyes wide and shocked at Luke's state, soothing him with his words and stroking his forehead with his thumb. "Luke, its gonna be okay, the ambulance is coming, they're gonna take care of you. We'll be with you the whole time, we're not leaving you again." As Nate's words sunk in, Luke croaked out one utterance, "We?"
"Yeah, Luke, me and Dad, we're gonna take care of you now." Dan stepped into Luke's' view, his face streaked with tears at the sight of his broken eldest son, his heart breaking. Luke looked at him and shuddered in pain, he didn't have any idea how to feel about the man who had abandoned him, and the pain was clouding his thoughts too much for him to figure it out. Finally Luke's body started fighting against conciousness and he passed out with a whimper.
xxx
It was like a nightmare, he could hear the whimpers of his son and the sounds of flesh being struck, bones cracking, but he was helpless to stop them, he couldn't get through the door, no matter how hard he tried. All he could do was shout through the solid door and hope his son could hear that he was trying to help him. He yelled out about the police coming and all noise stopped. Finally, I hit a nerve. He could hear scrambling inside the house and the bang of the back door, but he ignored it, as the police arrived and proceeded to knock the door off its hinges.
His chest tightened as he took in the bloody mess of his first born son crumpled on the stained carpeting. His blonde hair streaked red, his worryingly pale face bruised and battered. Before he could say a word, one of the policemen called an ambulance and touched Lucas on the shoulder. Dan almost began sobbing as his son flinched violently and howled in pain. Nate ran to his big brothers side, he was whispering to him, comforting him, his hand brushing Luke's bloody forehead. He heard Luke's whispered "We?" before he locked eyes with his son. Lucas's blue eyes pained and scared, before he finally passed out.
Nate began to panic, and had to be soothed by Dan. After what seemed like hours the ambulance finally arrived, the men quickly assessing what injuries they could, radioing into the hospital. Dan heard snippets of conversation "Multiple fractures and breaks... severe contusions... blood loss... possible pneumothorax on the left side." He was scared that he could lose his son, just as he had gotten him back. He watched, feeling detached as Lucas was lifted onto a stretcher and removed from the house. He followed in silence, listening to Nate talking as he trotted next to the stretcher. He snapped out of his daze as Nate climbed into the ambulance next to his brother, "Nate, I'll follow the ambulance to the hospital." He shouted to his youngest son, receiving a nod in reply as the doors shut.
xxx
Nate had never felt so scared in his whole life. It had been sickening to hear the screams and whimpers of his brother as he was beaten, and when he has finally seen the state he was in he wanted to cry. He had held strong though, soothing and comforting Lucas, wanting him to feel safe even through all the pain. In the ambulance, he watched as his brother was worked on, a oxygen mask covering his face, and his body covered in wires. He was basically soaked in blood, all his clothes saturated, sodden with the bright red liquid. Nate felt sick, the metallic smell hitting his nostrils, making him gag.
When they finally reached the hospital, he could only follow the stretcher so far, before he was told he couldn't pass the next point. Before he could protest, his brother was wheeled away and the doors slammed shut. He was afraid, his brother looked bad, sick and pale. He was scared his brother would die. His father shouldered his way through the entrance and raced to his side, holding him, whispering over and over that it would be okay, that they would take care of Lucas and he would come home with them. Nate could only pray, he was right.
Dan filled in all of the forms on Lucas, giving permission for any surgery needed, but he felt woefully capable of writing the medical history or allergies about his son, he knew none of these things, his son was a stranger to him. He had no idea of anything his son liked or hated, his interests, he had failed his little boy.
xxx
The two Scott men, paced the floor of the waiting room for hours, being joined by Deb as soon as she had gotten wind of what had taken place. Deb had seen Lucas around, the thin, but beautiful boy, his bright blue eyes and golden hair. She had seen the dejection in his eyes at times and her heart had lurched for him. Now knowing what he had been subjected to for what was likely to be years, she was feeling guilty. It was her fault that Lucas had been left with Karen instead of being with Dan, she could only hope that Dan wouldn't blame her for this.
A doctor came through the doors, his scrubs covered in blood, and Dan cringed. "Lucas Scott" was called and the three of them walked forward.
The doctor, spoke, his voice, clear and concise, not wanting any misunderstandings. He spoke using simple medical terms so not to confuse. "Lucas has some significant injuries, but we believe that he will make a full recovery with time and care. Due to the blunt trauma to his chest he has several broken ribs and his left lung collapsed, we inserted a tube into his chest and this has now resolved itself. He also received a broken wrist and fractures to his collarbone and left ankle. He also has severe bruising to his torso and face, and many lacerations, his back was in a particularly poor state and he received sutures to the worst wounds. Luckily he has no internal bleeding but he does have some bruising to his left kidney. This may cause blood in his urine but should heal itself, we will however keep a close eye on that. He also lost a large amount of blood from the lacerations, particularly from his facial wounds, we gave him several pints of blood and all looks good in that area."
Dan took all of the information in slowly, his son had been beaten badly, but he would be okay, physically at least, mentally however Dan knew they were in for a rough ride, especially as Karen and Chris had gotten away in all of the chaos. "How long will he have to stay here?" Dan asked.
"We expect that barring any complications that Lucas will be able to leave in about a week." was the reply.
"Can we see him?" Nate whispered.
"I'll take you to him, he's very tired at the moment and obviously very sore, although he is on pain relief. He looks rather bruised and swollen, but that will go down, in time."
"How many sutures did he have?" Deb asked quietly.
"Well, with all the lacerations we found on his back, plus the injuries to his face and chest, he received about ninety sutures in all. These will have to be removed, but all this will be organised."
Ninety? God he must be in so much pain. Nate thought.
xxx
They entered Lucas' room in silence, taking in the image of the battered slumbering Lucas, his face, swollen and severely bruised, several cuts on his face, his wrist and ankle encased in casts. Nate wondered to his bedside and took Luke's good hand in his, squeezing gently in comfort. One of Luke's eyes shot open and he looked around in panic, his other eye swollen shut. He spotted the smiling sight of his little brother and gave a small smile in return, feeling comforted and safe for some reason. He looked further around the room and spotted, in the doorway, an uncomfortable looking Deb and a concerned looking Dan. Lucas stiffened, he had no reason to trust his father, he abandoned him, left him to his fate, but now he was here.
Nate watched as Lucas spotted his father and saw how his eyes clouded in confusion. He gripped his brothers hand tighter and Luke looked back to him, meeting his identical eyes. Lucas, for the first time in his life felt loved. It was a new feeling, unfamiliar and yet addictive, the look in Nates' eyes was painful and comforting at the same time, a desperation in the blue depths. Lucas did the only thing he could at that moment, he began to cry. Great heaving sobs, a mixture of mental and physical pain causing anguished moans to leave his lips. He felt broken, but he wasn't alone and for that he was grateful.
At the sight of Lucas crying, Nathan held his brother, wrapping his arms around him and holding his shaking body, a repeat of the incident in the classroom, only this time, they weren't alone. Dan approached the bed, and reached for his two sons, holding them as both began to cry, years of torment being released and grieved for. Lucas holding on for dear life to both his father and brother, feeling comfort and strangely a sense of belonging. Maybe he could begin to heal. It would be a long and difficult process, but he was determined to try.
Deb stood back and watched as another member joined their family, this one would be fragile and scared, but she was determined to help fix the broken boy lying in the hospital bed.
xxx
A/N: Okay, so another chapter, I hope you enjoy this one, the next one should be up soon. Please review and let me know your opinions so far. Thankies and Ta Muchly!